Second week of May
After buying breakfast, Kitazawa headed straight for the Ninja Academy.
As expected, Hinata Hyūga was already waiting for him in his office.
"Eat."
Kitazawa set the breakfast out on the low table one item at a time.
"Kitazawa‑sensei."
Hinata took a sip of milk, the corners of her mouth lifting in a smile. "Yesterday I had a sparring match with Father."
"You're grinning like that—did you beat him?"
Kitazawa teased.
"N‑No…"
Hinata's cheeks reddened at the joke. "H‑How could I possibly win?"
In her mind, Hiashi Hyūga stood at the very pinnacle of the ninja world.
If she could reach even half his strength in her lifetime, it would already be remarkable.
"Why not?"
Kitazawa smiled. "Sensei thinks you'll definitely defeat him one day."
"Huh?"
Hinata's mouth fell open; she had no idea what to say.
"If you didn't win, why are you so happy?"
Kitazawa took a bite of his rice ball, steering the topic back.
"Father said I've improved a lot!"
Hinata came back to herself, her small face lighting up again.
"That means you have real talent," Kitazawa praised.
Hinata's only problem was a lack of confidence.
His cure for that was simple—keep praising her.
"I… I don't have any talent," Hinata looked up at him. "It's your training that worked, Kitazawa‑sensei."
"My training only works because you do have talent," Kitazawa answered with a gentle smile.
"Eh…?"
Hinata's brain stalled.
How did the conversation circle back again?
Could I really be talented…?
"I'm nowhere near Neji‑nii‑san," Hinata murmured, her expression dimming.
"Not necessarily," Kitazawa shook his head, reassuring her. "It's normal that he's stronger—he's older than you."
Hinata certainly had talent.
In the original story, even Ōtsutsuki Toneri and the spirits of the Ōtsutsuki clan called her the Princess of the Byakugan, saying her eyes were of exceptionally pure lineage.
"B‑But…"
Hinata hesitated.
"You learn the truth through practice," Kitazawa met her gaze. "Keep training, and I believe you'll beat Neji Hyūga one day."
Theoretically it was very hard—but he had a "cheat."
Once he obtained the Byakugan and Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty‑Four Palms, Hinata really did have a chance, since every jutsu the system rewarded came maxed out in proficiency.
Hinata stared blankly.
She had never even imagined defeating Neji, yet faced with Kitazawa's seriousness, she nodded almost on reflex.
"Kitazawa‑sensei…"
Hinata looked away. "There's something else I wanted to ask you."
"Go ahead."
Kitazawa finished his rice ball and picked up a piece of sushi.
"Father said my chakra has increased by half compared to before."
Hinata sounded puzzled.
"Neither you nor your father knows why?"
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow.
"Mm‑hm," Hinata nodded.
Although she'd been refining chakra all month, an increase of fifty percent was unbelievable.
"Sounds to me like you weren't listening in class,"
Kitazawa flicked her forehead.
"I… I haven't been going to class lately," Hinata whispered, face flushing.
Ahem.
Skipping over that, Kitazawa asked, "Do you know what chakra is made of?"
"It's a mixture of spiritual energy and physical energy," Hinata answered.
"So if your chakra rose, those two energies must have increased."
Kitazawa asked, "Think—what have you been doing these days?"
"I haven't…"
Hinata froze.
She'd realized why.
With Kitazawa's help, she no longer had to hide how much she could eat.
For nearly a month she had eaten until she was full every day.
A full stomach naturally meant plenty of bodily energy.
"So that's it…"
Hinata murmured in shock.
She had always thought having a big appetite was shameful—unbecoming of Hyūga etiquette and crude besides.
"A good appetite is a blessing," Kitazawa said, patting her head. "You never need to feel embarrassed about it again."
Hinata looked up at him, slightly dazed.
Defeating Toranosuke, Father's praise, and now knowing that eating more raised her chakra…
All of it piled together, and the emotions she'd bottled up suddenly burst.
"Ki—"
The moment she spoke, tears fell.
Flustered, she wiped them away, not daring to look up.
Poor child, Kitazawa thought, sighing inwardly.
He simply watched her quietly.
After a long while Hinata took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry, Kitazawa‑sensei."
"There's nothing to apologize for," Kitazawa shook his head.
"Thank you."
Hinata felt lighter than ever.
All that heaviness had flowed out with her tears, leaving only an indescribable sense of relief.
"Come on, let's head to the classroom."
Kitazawa stood after finishing breakfast.
"Mm."
Hinata followed obediently.
The class bell rang.
"Before we start, I have an announcement," Kitazawa said from the podium, smiling.
"At the beginning of June, our class will have a friendly match with Year‑2 Class A."
The room erupted in chatter.
"Year‑2 A? The one with Neji Hyūga?"
Choji Akimichi gaped. "We're doomed—there's no way we can beat them."
"Don't give up on ourselves!"
Kiba Inuzuka slapped his desk. "We haven't even fought yet!"
"You don't know how strong Neji is," Ino Yamanaka said without confidence. "He's even more famous than Sasuke, a renowned genius of the Hyūga clan."
"How could anyone be more of a genius than Sasuke‑kun?"
Sakura Haruno clenched her fists. "Sasuke‑kun will beat him for sure!"
"I'll defeat him," Sasuke Uchiha said coolly.
"Sasuke‑kun!"
Sakura's eyes turned into hearts—Sasuke had spoken to her for the first time.
"Neji Hyūga isn't kidding around," Even Shikamaru Nara looked serious.
The moment Hinata heard Neji's name, her body stiffened.
The thought of facing him made most of her new‑found courage evaporate.
"Hey!"
Naruto Uzumaki jumped up confidently. "We've got Kitazawa‑sensei, remember?"
Hinata subconsciously looked at Kitazawa.
His steady smile calmed her heart at once.
~~~
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